Aftermath of Demise
by xSummonerYunax
Summary: Silent Hill Homecoming: Alex and Elle realize that all they have is each other as they leave Silent Hill. Alex/Elle.


Aftermath of Demise

Alex sighed and watched a trail of mist escape from his cold lips. He came to a sudden halt and stared absentmindedly ahead, unsure of where he was going but certain that he wanted to get away from Silent Hill as soon as possible. He couldn't see more than ten feet ahead of him due to the thick layers of ghastly fog permeating through the smoky air. He could feel his eyes watering and his nostrils burning from the scent of smoldering charcoals around him. Every time he tried to find the source of the burning stench, he was only face with endless paths that seem to lead to nowhere and everywhere. He tried to shake the unsettling feeling residing within him and squeezed his eyes shut to prevent another lapse of hot tears from trickling down his sore eyes.

"Josh…" he muttered coarsely as he extended an arm out to the distance. His fingers widened as if he was trying to reach for something, but all he caught was a handful of mist that slipped away from his grasp. Alex just couldn't accept the fact that his brother was really gone. _How? I was searching for him all this time…but all this time, he was really…dead…_

He couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his hot cheeks as he continued down a random path alone and confused. Through the blurry vision before his eyes mixed with tears and the thick fog, he vaguely made out the entrance of the evil town of Silent Hill. Roughly wiping away the tears with the cuff of his worn jacket, he continued down the path with heavy and slow steps. He was supposed to find Joshua and leave with him, not alone after discovering the truth behind his brother's death.

"What the fuck does it matter now if I get out of here or not. I might as well stay in this hell…" Alex yelled into the still night and listened to his voice reverberate emptily throughout the deserted town. He looked over to his side and was about to reach out to his friend beside him when he realized that he had abandoned her an hour or so ago. Now, he was truly alone and had no one to turn to, no one to speak to.

Exhaling deeply, he tried to regain his composure and continue on. He was so close to the entrance, just minutes away from his freedom, but that didn't matter anymore. He felt his legs shake beneath his weight and allowed his knees to collapse to the ground, bringing him down with them with a loud thud. Moments passed and all he could was languidly watch small snowflakes fall against his palm. He suddenly recalled that Elle hated when the snow fell against her skin because she was very sensitive to the cold. For the first time since he had discovered the truth about his brother, Alex's mind was on something else other than Joshua. He turned to side again, hoping that she would appear to support him even though he had rudely brushed her aside and left without her. She had always been there for him when they were teenagers before he was moved to a mental institution.

But things change over the years, and people change.

"It's my fault anyway. Why does she want to have anything to do with me? I'll just let her down, like how I let Joshua down. She's better off on her own, and I'm better off on my own…" Alex whispered to himself as he attempted to push himself up from the ground. His knees were still weak and his palms felt like they were frozen on his thighs. All he could do was watch the snow fall against his skin, eventually melting into water. He stared at his palm and became mesmerized with the trails of water dispersing in random directions on his palm before slipping off the edges of his hand.

"No, you're wrong, Alex." A voice behind him spoke.

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and as much as he hated to admit it, his mind and body relaxed against the much-needed human contact.

"What are you doing here, Elle?" He continued watching his palm without paying much attention to his friend.

"What do you mean what I'm doing here, Alex?" Elle's eyes widened and her heart instantly felt a pang of hurt from the words he had just echoed to her. "I-I want to get out of here. I want to get out of here with YOU," she cried with seething frustration laced in her voice.

"Then go. Get out of here. The entrance is right up ahead." Alex nudged toward the giant sign that read "Welcome to Silent Hill" before turning his head to the side coldly.

"Alex! Please!" Elle fell to the cold hard ground and wrapped both of her arms around her friend's neck, embracing him tightly as she watched fresh tears trickle down his face. Her lungs burned from trying to hold back from crying. Seeing him cry made her want to cry too, but she couldn't. She needed to stay strong for the both of them. "Alex…" she whispered soothingly into his ears. "It'll be ok, I promise."

"Will it Elle? I…Josh died because of me," he hissed vehemently. "Not only could I save him…but I let him-"

"Alex! My sister…she's gone too. I lost her and I lost my mother. I'm in just as much pain you're in! Please…please don't leave me here by myself. You're all I have now." She hugged him tighter, afraid that if she were to let go, he would vanish again like he had done before. "Let me come with you. Let's go, together."

Alex turned around slowly and briefly touched her hand that was resting against his shoulder. He could tell that she was trying her hardest to prevent her tears from escaping her eyes. It took all the tiny visible muscles on her face to keep them locked in. "I-I can't…get you in any danger. I don't know what I'll do."

"You won't do anything to me," Elle replied firmly. "Listen to me, Alex. I know you think you'll hurt me because of what you did to Joshua…but I know you won't let anything happen to me. I know it." She locked her eyes on his as she allowed her words to fluidly escape her mouth with sheer confidence. "I…we can help each other. We've both suffered immense losses, but all we have is each other. Let me help you," she pleaded.

He brushed a hand against her cheek and tucked away loose strands of hair behind her ear. When her eyes came into full view, he realized she was very beautiful. He hadn't noticed it before because he was too obsessed with looking for his brother and the last time he had seen her before they met again was many years ago. She had certainly aged into a very lovely young lady.

"What…are you looking at?" Elle questioned, confused and startled that Alex was looking at her so intently.

"You're very beautiful," he stated simply before looking away. "It would be a shame if anything were to happen to you because of me."

Elle tried to keep herself from blushing even though her heart skipped a beat from his kind comment. "Something WILL happen to me if you're not here with me, Alex," she stated firmly. She got up from her crouching position and walked in front of him. Extending a long arm toward her friend, she waited for him to respond.

Alex hesitantly watched her delicate fingers tremble against the cold wind. He could see her chapped skin from the harsh weather and instinctively wrapped his coarse hand over hers. He felt her tugging him to his feet and he made the final effort to stand up before her. The next few minutes were filled with silence as they watched each other carefully, their own thoughts only meant for their own mind. Alex squeezed his hand tighter against Elle's as he advanced a step further, closing the gap between them. He watched her face intently and admired the way her long lashes would shield her eyes from the cascading snowflakes. Her pale smooth skin appeared so fragile against the intruding snow and the hazy fog, and he couldn't help but feel that he needed to protect her from even the smallest danger. He pulled her petite form closer to his body and leaned his chin against the crown of her head and whispered, "I…I couldn't save my brother, but I'll do my best to protect you."

Elle smiled faintly as she wondered if he had really said those words or if it was her mind imagining things. When he reconfirmed that he had indeed spoken those words by hugging her gently, she closed her eyes and nodded. "Thank you, Alex."

"Let's get out of here, together…" He departed from her and gazed at the entrance of the town. The fog all appeared to accumulate in one direction, flowing toward the exit of the town as if they were guiding him to his freedom. "You see that?" he pointed out.

"Yeah…it's so creepy…but it seems like they want us to leave."

"What are we waiting for then?" Alex chuckled sardonically and intertwined his fingers through Elle's as he followed the foward movement of the strange mist.

They walked out together, and neither of them turned back to look at Silent Hill for the last time.

-Fin

A/N: I finished Homecoming awhile ago and I realized that the relationship Elle and Alex had was very vague so I decided to expand on them a bit more by following the ending of the game. I decided to keep their relationship subtle here so it can follow the game, but at the same time I wanted to hint that they're going to be together. Thanks for reading guys!


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